From the archive: July 29 1937

Lion mauls controversial ex-Rector

Mr. Harold Davidson, the former Rector of Stiffkey, was badly mauled by a lion at Skegness to-night, and owes his life to the bravery of a girl who went to his assistance.

He was addressing a large crowd from inside the lions' den when his foot accidentally caught a young lioness. An old male lion immediately sprang at him and mauled his shoulders and back. Mr. Davidson fought back with his stick, and a young attendant, Miss Renee Somer, jumped into the cage to go to his help. She got an iron bar in the lion's mouth, and other attendants managed to get Mr. Davidson away. His shoulders were lacerated, and he was taken to Skegness Cottage Hospital.

Mr. W. T. Giles, manager of the amusement park, told a reporter that Mr. Davidson was giving a show with four lions, two of which were in a cage partitioned from the one he entered. "While he was making his speech," Mr. Giles said, "Mr. Davidson tripped over the lioness while he was stepping backwards, and the lion immediately attacked him.

"Miss Somer dashed into the cage, drove the lion off, dragged Mr. Davidson to a corner of the cage near the door, and helped to keep off the lion. It was a wonderful act of bravery.

"The girl kept her head right up to the end, but when she got out of the cage she fainted. She was given a restorative and sent to bed."

Late to-night the condition of Mr. Davidson was stated to be "comfortable". [He later died from his wounds. The Rector, an almost literal godsend to tabloid newspapers, had been deprived of his living for alleged involvement with prostitutes. Recently, however, his descendants began efforts to clear his name.

The Englishman at play. The freedom of our English parks and open spaces, the enthusiasm of our "over forty" sportsmen, and our genius for organised games - these are among the favourable impressions that Herr Hans von Tschammer und Osten, Germany's "sports leader", carried of our country when he left for Germany to-day. Herr von Tschammer has just completed a ten-day inspection of our athletic and sporting activities.

He told a press representative, "I shall ask the authorities to throw open their parks so that young people may play freely on them as they do here. It is wonderful to see perhaps twenty cricket matches going on in your great spaces with no one to tell the children what to do. In Germany the people in the parks must walk-so, and look at the beautiful trees-so."

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